Page 135 - Bonhams Chinese & Asian Works of Art Los Angelis December 14 2020

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SHIBATA ZESHIN (1807-1891) Provenance
A tobacco tray with a bird-shaped kite Yoshiie Family, Suisekitei Collection
Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1870-1890 Previously sold, Bonhams, London, The Misumi Collection of Important
The deep tray with curved corners, and slightly recessed interior with Works of Art and Paintings, Part II, November 10, 2015, lot 3
indented corners, the wood body entirely covered in almost black
chado-nuri finished to an ishime-nuri texture, the interior decorated in Exhibited and Published
highly polished low black takamaki-e with a kite in the form of a crow Nezu Bijutsukan (Nezu Museum), Shibata Zeshin no shikko, urushi-e,
viewed from below and upside-down (as indicated by the location of kaiga (Shibata Zeshin: From Lacquer Arts to Painting), exhibition
the signature on the base), details of the feet and eyes in silver lacquer, catalogue, Tokyo: Nezu Bijutsukan, 2012, cat. no.18
the kite string and its ties depicted in gold hiramaki-e partly incised in
subori technique to indicate the individual twisted threads, the string In his catalogue note for the 2012 Zeshin exhibition at the Nezu
extending over the top side and the base to the long-handled itomaki Museum referred to above, lacquer historian Takao Yo comments that
(winder) depicted on the side, its wood and bamboo components the kite depicted here is no ordinary toy but a special variety that was
rendered in takamaki-e of gold, shibuichi, and shakudo powder incised probably, and typically, Zeshin’s own invention. An accompanying
in subori technique with wood grain, signed on the underside Zeshin in certficate refers to the present lot as having been the property of the
gold hiramaki-e Yoshiie family who lived in Tokyo and were owners of a panel depicting
With a wood tomobako storage box with label inscribed Tako maki-e a harvest festival, completed in 1882, that is one of the finest works
tabako-bon Zeshin saku (Maki-e tobacco tray by Zeshin) and letter in the Khalili Collection; see Joe Earle and Tadaomi Goke, Meiji no
of authentication from Shoji Hoshin (1898–1993), reading Zeshin-o Takara, Treasures of Imperial Japan, Masterpieces by Shibata Zeshin
saku tako maki-e seidoji tabako-bon shinsaku mugi mono nari Showa [in the Khalili Collection], London: Kibo Foundation, 1996, cat. no.27.
gojukyunen uzuki hachijuroku-o Hoshin kan (Seido-ground tobacco
tray by Zeshin, authentic work examined by Hoshin, aged 86, April
1984) with seals Shoji, Koma; wrapper sealed Hoshin no in
13/4 × 11 1/4 × 9 in (4.5 × 28.5 × 22.9 cm)

$15,000 - 20,000

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